The vagus and gastrin components in peripheral blood

To study the role played by vagal activity for the gastrins in peripheral blood, the mean pattern during feeding was studied in 16 duodenal ulcer patients before and after selective (n=8), or truncal vagotomy (n=8). Two normal subjects were studied with and without atropine during hypoglycaemic activation of the vagus. Gastrins were fractionated by gel chromatography. Serum gastrin was almost exclusively made up of gastrin component II (gastrin 34-like) and III (gastrin 17-like). Both components rose after feeding but the major increase was incomponent III. Total gastrin concentrations rose after vagotomy but no qualitative changes were seen. During hypoglycaemia a marked increase in gastrin component III and a lesser increase in component II was found. This pattern was not changed by atropine. It is concluded that the vagus plays little or no role for a selective release of the various gastrins. Furthermore there is no indication that the higher serum levels after vagotomy consist of gastrins of a lesser biological activity.